President Banda reveals his true Muslim faith

MMD candidate for the 2011 presidential elections, Rupiah Banda, has finally revealed his Muslim faith in a bid to maximise on the fundraising ventures
among fellow faithfuls in his home town of Chipata.

The PF also claimed that president Banda has declined to re-dedicate Zambia as a Christian nation because it contradicts his true religion.

Speaking in a closed-door meeting on Monday Rupiah, told a “business
meeting” comprising mainly businesspeople of Asian origin, that he fired
Sylvia Masebo from government because she antagonised Muslims in Lusaka by
revoking their permit to build a mosque in Longacres in the middle of
residential homes, according to information publicized by the opposition Patriotic Front.

“When I had a chance, I put her outside. I excluded her because she was rude
to have denied them (Muslims) a permit to build a place of worship. I come
from here (Chipata) and that is how we (Muslims) worship. No one looks at
how others are worshipping because we all (Muslims) worship the same God (as
Christians),”Rupiah told a smiling audience of Muslim clerics and
businessmen.

“When I became vice-president they came to my office and asked me to
intervene.”

By previous practice, religious affairs have traditionally been dealt with
under the ministries of Local Government, Community Development and Legal
Affairs as they issues there from interface. The office vice-president deals
with parliamentary affairs and disaster management.

‘Rupiah’s revelation of his faith is a sharp contradiction of his statement
in his official campaign ads in 2008 where he stated that he was Christian
from the Anglican Communion,’ said the PF information wing.

The PF also claimed that president Banda has declined to re-dedicate Zambia as a Christian nation because it contradicts his true religion.

The PF says president Banda disappointed some Christian pastors who had arranged a ‘grand occasion’ at which they planned to “transfer the ‘Christian Nation’ legacy” from the late former president Fredrick Chiluba to him in a bid to woo the evangelical vote.

Organisers of the failed function under the leadership of a Lusaka-based bishop have hit a brick wall in their efforts to arrange a “thanks-giving” ceremony where the pastors were to thank Rupiah for “looking after Chiluba well.”

At the same function, Rupiah was to re-dedicate the country and hopefully take over the mantle from the late president.

But as the pastors, learnt, the president found the task, contracting his Muslim faith. He therefore asked them to arrange their own tours and crusades which he would finance but not appear there.

One “bishop” without a cathedral, has already undertaken a series of tours on the Copperbelt but his followers have taken to task when the cash he promised them to help their congregations did not materialise following the president’s lukewarm response to this project.

He has since abandoned the project, and so has the campaigning Lusaka bishop who sadly discovered the president’s real faith some two months ago.